You may have been hearing a lot about the film ”Les Misérables” (The Wretched”). “Les Misérables” is a very famous French historical novel by Victor Hugo which is also famous as a musical. Here is one of the songs Cosette sings. She is the little girl in the film who is unkindly treated by the people looking after her and dreams of “un château dans les nuages” (a castle in the clouds) with “une dame vêtue de blanc” (a lady dressed in white) who sings her a lullaby.
They are all looking forward to it in France too! Voici la bande-annonce en français. Un seul pourra vivre! (Only one can live!)
They do have their own films too, of course. Here is a trailer for a film which is due to be released in December “Une Vie de Chat”. Dino is a cat that leads a double life – by day he lives with Zoë whose mother is a police woman but.. by night he works with Nico, a burglar. I wonder if it will come to our screens too?
A French animated film “L’Illusionniste” by Sylvain Chomet was chosen to launch the Edinburgh Film Festival yesterday. It is set in the Western Isles and in Edinburgh and is about a struggling magician trying to revive his career. Chomet has spent some time in Scotland and chose to set the film here because of the light and the changing skies. He says ”L’Ecosse est un pays magique, plein de mystère. Le ciel est toujours changeant.. en une seule journée on peut avoir trois saisons différentes” Et oui.. c’est L’Ecosse!
The film comes out in France today. “Le Chapelier Fou” is of course Johnny Depp. Did you know he lives in France? Voici la bande-annonce.. en français bien sûr!
Cannes is in the south of France and is famous for its film festival which is one of the most prestigious in the world. Can you work out what “le tapis rouge” is? Do you know what “La Palme d’Or” is? For the first time this year an animated film is going to open the festival – “Là-haut”
French children love Harry Potter too. J. K. Rowling has been awarded the Légion d’honneur (the highest decoration in France). The President said “Avec vous ils comprennent que la lecture n’est pas une punition mais aussi une source de plaisir” (You have made them understand reading is not a punishment but a pleasure). Her speech was in French and she thanked them for not holding a grudge against her for choosing a French name for the evil Voldemort. Do you know what it means?
Apparently her great-grandfather was French and he was awarded the Légion d’honneur as well for his courage in World War 1.
(Bande-Annonce – Harry Potter et Le Prince de Sang-Mêlé)
They are talking about it in France too! Pour voir un clip. If you would like to listen to the French version of the song “Walk Away” go to “other stuff”.